Center for Trauma Innovation

The Gillian RenyCenter for Trauma Innovation

The Gillian Reny

THE GILLIAN RENY STEPPING STRONG CENTERFOR TRAUMA INNOVATION

“I am so grateful to people across the globe who are turning the Boston Marathon tragedy into hope for trauma patients. Together we are fueling innovation, creating much needed awareness, and sustaining the Boston Strong spirit that continues to define our city.”

—AUDREY EPSTEIN RENY, CHAIR, ADVISORY BOARD

BWHSteppingStrong.org

On April 15, 2013, Gillian Reny was standing near the finish line of the Boston Marathon with her family when two bombs went off and a beautiful day turned into heartbreaking tragedy.Gillian was critically injured

and rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), where doctors and nurses worked heroically to save her life and legs—a miraculous outcome.

Forever grateful, the Reny family established The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation with a vision of transforming outcomes for civilians and military heroes who suffer from devastating traumatic injuries.

Today, the Stepping Strong Center’s mission is to catalyze multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research collaborations. The center is home to more than 100 faculty members, an educational fellowship, and a vibrant community of runners and supporters who raise funds and awareness for the cause.

Tragically, of the 200,000 deaths that occur annually from traumatic injuries, 47 percent are young people under the age of 46. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Each year, millions survive and are faced with lifelong mental, physical, and financial problems. The Stepping Strong Center is committed to addressing this public health crisis through its focus on research, innovation, education, and community engagement.

PROGRAM AREASSTEPPING STRONG INNOVATOR AWARDS AND RESEARCH SCHOLARS. Our Innovator Awards program inspires research in groundbreaking trauma treatment and recovery projects. Training laypeople and first responders in emergency preparedness techniques, elevating amputation to a form of limb salvage, restoring muscle mass using 3D bioprinting, and regenerating skin to heal wounds are just four of the innovative projects underway. The center’s funding model—bestowing seed grants to research teams that show great promise—has resulted in significant federal funding, leading to better patient outcomes and the potential for commercialization. To date, 18 physician-scientist teams have received $3.1M in funding. Of these teams:

STEPPING STRONG TRAUMA FELLOWSHIP. This unique one-year fellowship trains the next generation of medical leaders in advanced techniques for treating complex traumatic injury.

RUNNING TEAMS. More than 1,110 runners have laced up their sneakers in support of Stepping Strong at the Boston Athletic Association’s Boston Marathon, 5K and 10K races, the Falmouth Road Race, and other races across the globe.

COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING. Raising funds through spin classes, dance-a-thons, auctions, yoga classes, and raffles are among the many ways our community members have stepped up to support the center.

Trauma is a neglected global epidemic that accounts for nearly 200,000 deaths,43 million hospital visits, and an economic burden of $671 billion per year. Stepping Strong co-directors Mitchel B. Harris, MD, and Ali Salim, MD, are addressing this deadly public health crisis in collaboration with leaders at BWH, MGH, and beyond.

“I am immensely grateful to Stepping Strong for helping us reinvent the way amputation procedures are performed and for giving patients the chance to live their lives fully in ways that were previously not possible.”—MATTHEW CARTY, MD, DIRECTOR, STRATEGY AND INNOVATION

GET INVOLVED WITH THE STEPPING STRONG CENTER• Make a gift | Justine Byrar | jbryar1@bwh.harvard.edu• Start a fundraiser | BWHcommunity@partners.org• Run a road race | BWHmarathonteam@partners.org• Program information | Nish Acharya | nhacharya@bwh.harvard.edu

5Research

teams

$1Mfrom Stepping

Strong

$14.6Min NIH,DoD,

and SBIRgrants*

received resulting in

*National Institutes for Health, Department of Defense, and Small Business Innovation Research